I have 3/8” tongue and groove beaded board plywood (pine) for the walls of my basment shop. I like the way it looks right now; bare. But, I absolutely need to coat it with something to seal the grain against moisture absorption and I want a finish that will not support mildew and mold; like I said, it’s a basement shop.

My basement shop is air conditioned and heated by the HVAC of the house. I have fixed my external drainage, sealed the concrete block walls, insulated the walls with foam board and a polyethelene vapor barrier . My bead board panels will be installed on a 2×4 framed wall over the top of all this. I think I will be good to go, but I want to protect the panels from moisture absorption. Sitting in the un-conditioned garage the panels are already starting to warp and mildew. The outdoor climate here in Tennessee this time of year is like walking through a hot wet towel.

I have used M1 additive to paint before and it seems to stop mildew just fine. It says it can be added to almost any oil or water based finish so I might use that. But, what finish would seal the wood without looking like it’s finished?

-- Michael :-{| Don't anthropomorphise your tools, they hate it when you do that.

mind you, even water based finish will change the appearance of the wood as it’ll add a film on top of it – but it’ll make the least amount of change as compared to oil based finishes (linseed, poly, laquer, etc)

You can also rub out most finishes into a low sheen that would appear as just natural wood. Basically you just put on the normal finish….then when dry…use rottenstone, rubbing compound or wet/dry sandpaper and a lubricating agent (water or oil) and rub down the finish…..This takes alot of the gloss away along with brush strokes, dust bumps…etc. The more rubbing the less finish (you have to be careful not to remove all the finish). There are many You Tube videos on how to do this so I will not go into alot of detail…or just google rubbing out a finish.

I have to agree with PurpLev and respectfully disagree with cr1. Danish oil and paste wax is a great looking finish, but it will definitely add yellow overtones to your wood. Water-based polyurethane is the way to go. Keeping in mind these are shop walls, I don’t think you are really looking for hand-rubbed finish solutions (correct me if I’m wrong). Brushing on water-based poly would be fast, easy, and crystal-clear.

If what you want is a plain bare pine look then I think you already have what you need by useing shellac along with good old Johnson’s paste wax.But I do agree that painting the walls white is a good idea in the shop to help with the lighting. But it’s your shop so go with what makes you happy.

It’s just a cozy feeling type thing. When I look at all the other shops here or in magazines, the ones I look at and say, “I’d like to work in there” usually have plain wood walls. The white painted walls just look too sterile and cold to me. I got paint at the office. My shop is an escape.

But, I will be painting the ceiling white, and the same question arises, “What is better for humididity and mildew resistance, oil base or water based paint ?”

-- Michael :-{| Don't anthropomorphise your tools, they hate it when you do that.

I’d say that finishes might be water resistant, but not necessarily humidity resistant.

This subject came up in a recent edition of Wood and Steel magazine (by Taylor guitars). When asked why guitar makers don’t finish the inside of guitars, owner Bob Taylor said that finishes aren’t vapor barriers…and humidity is water vapor. Hence, this is the reason why wood will continue to expand and contract over time, regardless if your entire work is “finished.”

Unless you are building a waterfall into the wall of your shop, or planning on defying gravity by setting drinks on the wall sideways, I wouldn’t worry about it from a humidity standpoint. I have a rustic pine hutch. I use paste wax. Putting a film finish on it would seem to be a crime.

If you want the wall natural, then leave it natural. Not everything has to be finished.